What is the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors?
The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors (鳥海山大物忌神社吹浦口ノ宮中門及び廻廊) is a gate with flanking corridors, built in 1939, that closes off the front of the twin main halls on the top terrace of the shrine in Fukura, Yuza Town, Yamagata Prefecture; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2012.
It sits directly in front of the Main Hall and the subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall. The gate opens where the covered stairway from the worship hall below arrives, and a corridor runs out to each side. Beyond the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors lies the sacred area where the two sanctuaries stand.
The structure is a single-storey wooden building with a copper-plate roof covering 58 square meters. The rear gate and the tamagaki fence around the sides and back of the main halls were built in the same year.
How the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors is built, and why it is registered
The gate is Tsumairi, meaning its entrance is on the gable end. Each corridor is five bays long, and the last bay at either end is partitioned off as a shinsenjo, a room for preparing food offerings to the deities. The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors therefore serves both as a threshold and as a working space for ritual.
Every part has a simple gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof in copper. The posts are square, each capped by a single boat-shaped bracket arm, and the eaves use one layer of widely spaced rafters. The gables are framed with an inverted V of timbers and a short central strut, one of the plainest gable treatments in shrine carpentry.
The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes its exterior as neat and the space it creates as tranquil. The gate and corridors close the front of the sanctuary, while the fence encloses its sides and back.
What to look for at the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors
Notice how pared back the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors is. The main halls and the worship hall stand on round pillars; the gate and corridors use square posts and the simplest bracket form. Placing a plain gate in front of richly carved sanctuaries makes the carving behind it stand out.
The offering rooms at the corridor ends also deserve attention. They show that the wings of the gate were designed as rooms for ritual use, not merely as a fence.
The date matters as well. Because the fence and rear gate also date from 1939, the registered buildings show that the surroundings of the sanctuary were rebuilt as a set in the early Showa period.
Visiting the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors
The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors stands behind the worship hall, at the top of its covered stairway, so visitors cannot approach it directly. The area inside the gate is sacred ground and is not open.
To see the roofs of the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors, climb the steps to the worship hall and look up from around it. Like the main halls, the gate faces south.
We found no official guidance on photography; refrain during rites and ask at the amulet counter if unsure. Directions and visiting information for the whole shrine are on the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya page.
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Q&A
- When was the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors built?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, in 1939. The rear gate and fence around the main halls date from the same year.
- Can I walk through the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors to the main halls?
- No. The area inside the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors is sacred ground, and the gate is reached only by the stairway behind the worship hall.
- What is the offering room in the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors?
- It is a room for preparing food offered to the deities. One is partitioned off at the end of each corridor.
- What are the architectural features of the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors?
- A gable-entry gate with five-bay corridors on each side, all with gabled copper roofs, square posts, boat-shaped bracket arms, single-layer rafters, and simple strut-framed gables.
- Why is the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2012 for its contribution to the historic landscape, forming the quiet space in front of the twin main halls.
Basic Information
| Name | Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Nunokura, Fukura, Yuza-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey wooden structure, copper-plate roof, building area 58 m² |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine |
| Public Access | Grounds open to worshippers; gate and corridors inside the sacred area, not open |
References
- Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009124
- Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Middle Gate and Corridors (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/176767
- Guide to the Mount Chokai Historic Site, PDF (Yuza Town Board of Education)
- https://www.town.yuza.yamagata.jp/uploads/public/archive_0000003229_00/%E3%80%90PDF%E3%80%91%E5%8F%B2%E8%B7%A1%E9%B3%A5%E6%B5%B7%E5%B1%B1%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85.pdf
- Guide to the Mount Chokai Historic Site (Yuza Town)
- https://www.town.yuza.yamagata.jp/archive/p20250526170154
Last verified: 2026.09.16
